OAKLAND/SF / McClymonds strikes back

McClymonds High senior Deante Washington told his teammates at halftime that he would strike again if he got another chance.

After a 12-men-on-the-field penalty nullified his 72-yard punt return for a touchdown on the second-to-last play of the first half, Washington returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown with 8:56 left in the fourth quarter as the Warriors came from behind to beat host Skyline 14-7.

"I saw a little hole and I'm a little guy," the 5-foot-9 Washington said. "I squeezed through it and a guy hit me. But he didn't wrap me up."

Skyline (2-6, 1-2 Oakland Athletic League) broke a scoreless game with 9:14 left in the fourth quarter. The Titans capped a 60-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown from Joe Sampson (14 carries, 65 yards) to take a 7-0 lead. But after Willie Griffin (14 carries, 54 yards) ran in the two-point conversion following Washington's dazzling run, the Warriors took an 8-7 lead.

Despite quality field position at the 50-yard line, Skyline was stymied on its next possession. Tyrell Barnes stopped Jordan Foley (19 carries, 81 yards) on a 4th-and-1 play at the McClymonds 41.

The Warriors (4-2-1, 3-0), The Chronicle's 20th-ranked team, sealed the win when Andre Island, who rushed for 88 yards on 14 carries, scored on a 12-yard run with 1:50 remaining.

McClymonds -- which limped into the game after team-wide flu hindered practice all week -- won despite two first-half fumbles. After driving 86 yards on their third possession, the Warriors turned the ball over when Griffin fumbled on the 2-yard line, and Jordan Norris recovered.

McClymonds, which faces Castlemont next week, edged Skyline 190 yards to 189 in total offense.

Washington's kickoff return for a touchdown was his second this season.

Castlemont 30, Oakland Tech 13: With his team down 13-12 at halftime, quarterback Darrell Jones and receivers Chris Little and Brandon Davis took over to keep the title dreams of visiting Castlemont (7-1, 3-0 OAL) alive.

Jones (16 of 38, 354 yards) completed an 82-yard touchdown pass to Davis (five catches, 212 yards) on the third play of the second half, and the Knights took the lead for good. A 39-yard completion to Davis and a 27-yard pass to Little (8 catches, 104 yards) set up 1-yard TD runs by Jones to put the game away.

On the go-ahead TD, Davis was well covered but caught the ball near defensive back Jaysen Coleman's helmet at the Castlemont 40. He raced the distance untouched and the Knights were never threatened afterward.

Oakland Tech (3-4, 1-2) took the halftime lead behind the running of senior running back Jakhairie Murphy, who rushed for touchdowns of 57 and 1 yards in the first half when he piled up 128 yards on 15 carries. But Castlemont, after its first league title in more than a quarter-century, tightened up defensively and held Murphy to just six yards on nine carries in the second half.

Little caught first-half touchdown passes of 17 and 10 yards from Jones, who had a hand in all five Castlemont touchdowns.